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Melvin likes A's roster as Trade Deadline nears

Melvin likes A's roster as Trade Deadline nears

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OAKLAND -- A scorching July has turned the A's into surprising playoff contenders, which means they're now the type of team that could look to add another weapon or two before Tuesday's 1 p.m. PT Trade Deadline.

Oakland has been linked to several potential moves, in addition to the team's trade for catcher George Kottaras on Sunday.

But as A's manager Bob Melvin is keenly aware, with such a young team, the organization may not want to risk jeopardizing the team's future by giving away a young player in a trade that may not pay off.

"I think you look at every facet of it, how you improve your club, not only short-term but long-term," Melvin said. "You don't want to mortgage some of the things we have here with the younger players, and then, in turn, keep the guys and the pieces that are prominent in the clubhouse."

Another factor is chemistry. The A's seem to have one of the looser, more comfortable clubhouses in the Majors, and a disruption to that could be harmful.

Most rumors associate Oakland with looking to improve production at shortstop, with Arizona's Stephen Drew and Toronto's Yunel Escoabr the most prominent names. But Melvin has said in the past that he likes his team as is, and reiterated that on Monday with less than 24 hours before the deadline.

"If [general manager Billy Beane] feels like there's an upgrade out there, then certainly he'll pull the trigger on something like that, but we do feel like we have a good group here at this point," Melvin said.